Is Christianity Too Narrow?

Is Christianity too narrow?

Yes. Christianity is much too narrow for most people.

I do not know if that is the expected answer for those who are participating in the Explore God program. Throughout the Chicago area preachers are considering 7 questions on consecutive weeks, and this is question number 4. There are program resources available for those who are preaching through this series. I made a decision, for better or for worse, not to consult them because it was important to me that this come straight from my heart and avoid all appearances of a canned presentation. Tomorrow I will go online and find out what other preachers are saying about this question. I am curious.

I know my answer is sobering and unsettling. But it is something that I see taught in Scripture explicitly again and again and again. Christianity is much too narrow for most people. I will outline five categories in which I find this to be the case.

One. It is too narrow for most rich people. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Of course that is an exaggeration, and a metaphor – but it is not meaningless. In the Bible, riches are a hindrance rather than a help toward membership in the realm of God toward which we are invited in Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:9: “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.”

Of course it is not impossible for a rich person to be a saved Christian. It is just very difficult. Jesus said in Mark chapel 10:32, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The next verse says that the disciples were amazed at his words. Maybe they were as amazed at his words as some of you are if you are hearing this for the first time. But there it is. The disciples were so floored by what Jesus said that he found it necessary to repeat himself. Here’s the text:

Mark 10:23-27: And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

It is possible, but very difficult, for a rich person to be a true Christian. If you are rich, then for the love of God and the security of your soul, start being so generous with your wealth that you can no longer indulge yourself with needless luxuries. If you are not rich, do not envy rich people and do not long to be one of them. Most of those people are not disciples of Christ and have no share in his reign. Christianity is too narrow for most rich people.

Number 2: Christianity is too narrow for the proud.

The Bible says God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. It says that in James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.

There is an experience that is common to many ministers or pastors. Because to some individuals we represent God, there can be a curious effect on their behavior when they discover our vocation. They start telling us their good deeds. One minister likened this to meeting somebody at a social function and discovering that the individual is a dentist. You say, “Oh you’re dentist. Very good. Well, I try to floss…”

It is comical of course when a person with a live conscience tries to persuade Reverend So-and-So that he or she is really a pretty good person. But on a more serious note, you hope that that attitude does not spring from a deeper and more diabolical pride that truly believes in one’s own goodness and is not afraid to tell God that.

In Luke 18 Jesus told the story of a man who went to the temple and told God how good he was. The man was careful to couch his boastfulness in the pious language of thanksgiving, but Jesus was not fooled by that. You know how some people will apologize for something, but do so in a way that really casts the blame on the victim? Well this man “thanked God” but did so in language that made it clear that he thought God should be thanking him. He said, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”

Meanwhile the tax collector that the man referred to stood at a distance. He was too ashamed to approach. Jesus said that that man would not look heavenward, which was the custom when people prayed. Instead he looked down, beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Jesus said that man went home justified. That man went home right with God - but not the man who bragged to God about his goodness. Then Jesus said, “All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I have noticed lately on social media a trend that I find problematic in this regard: people filming themselves doing good deeds. They will plant a camera at some spot or they will get a friend to hold the camera for them as they give a homeless man a shirt, or buy new a guitar for a street musician. They take a photo of the hundred dollar bill they just gave to a single mom waitress. Well. It is good to do good. And I suppose, generally speaking, it is better to film oneself doing good than to film oneself doing evil. But it is never good to fuel confidence and pride in one’s own goodness. That kind of blissful self-regard alienates you from God. Do not justify such self-promotion and self-aggrandizement with the convenient excuse, “This will inspire other people; I’m really doing it for their good.” Jesus said concerning people who call attention to their goodness that they already have their reward in full. He also said, “When you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Do not focus on your goodness. Do not set your eyes or the eyes of others on how wonderful you are being.

Christianity is not a place for people for people to celebrate their goodness but rather to repent of their badness. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Christianity is too narrow for the proud.

Third, Christianity is too narrow for those who are only in it for the goodies.

My point here can perhaps best be expressed by what happens in John chapter 6. At the beginning of that chapter Jesus feels compassion for a crowd of people who have listened to him speak and are now getting hungry. He feeds them miraculously by multiplying two fish and five loaves that feeds 5,000 men plus women and children. The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is a famous miracle recorded in all four gospels - Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Less famous is what happens the very next day. The night following that feeding, Jesus and his disciples crossed over a lake, the Sea of Galilee. A huge crowd walked around the tip of the lake and met them on the other side.

Why did they follow him around the lake? Jesus told them why they did it in verse 26. He said you came here because “you ate the loaves of bread and had your fill.” They wanted him to do it again. They wanted another free meal.

Jesus did not give it to them. They were focusing on the wrong thing. He said in verse 27, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” But they wouldn’t let it go. They came for a free meal, and one way or another they were going to get that free meal. "I mean for crying out loud, I skipped breakfast for this. What is Jesus good for if he’s only going to give us one free lunch? That’s it? No more? Well if that’s the way it is going to be, I'm out of here.” So they tried to goad him into doing it again with the most thinly veiled hint you have ever heard. In verses 30 and 31 they say, “What sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Hint hint.

They were saying, “Moses did it for 40 years. What about you? Let’s see you do that bread trick again.”

In the verses that follow, Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.” If they were to believe in him and follow him, he would be their eternal nutrition - though on that particular day, they would have to go hungry, or perhaps go and buy their own food, or work for it.

The majority walked away. The great crowd evaporated. It narrowed down from thousands of people to just a handful. In verses 66 and 67 it says, "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you want to go away as well?'”

False Christians, as soon as they find out that they are not getting goodies, walk away from Jesus. The fact is, Christianity is too narrow for them.

If you go home and turn on your TV, you will find religious broadcasts by sons and daughters of hell, many of them millionaires, who make a point of tailoring their message to and extracting huge sums of money from the kind of people who walked away from Jesus in John chapter 6. That is, the people who came to Jesus merely for stuff. Food, healing, money, success, prosperity, blessing. “That’s it, that’s all I want. I want my best life now.”

Jesus preferred to have a small group of 12 who wanted him as their bread of life to having a throng of thousands who just wanted the stuff that his miraculous power could provide. Now that is a narrow subsection of the whole. When Jesus asked his small band of disciples if they wanted to leave also, Peter spoke for them and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” So Christianity is narrow, too narrow for those who only want goodies - but it is not too narrow for those who believe that whether they eat today or not, Jesus is the Holy One of God, and he alone has the words of eternal life.

Fourth, Christianity is too narrow for those who will not have Jesus as their ultimate priority. In Luke 9, there is a quick series of three vignettes in which three people almost follow Jesus. They seem willing, as long as a few conditions are met. Perfectly reasonable conditions. But in each case, Jesus does not say, “Glad to have you aboard! I’ll see what I can do to accommodate you.” Instead he points out a competing interest that they have, and he demands total allegiance that supersedes all such competing claims.

I will read the passage and make a few comments. Luke 9:57-62:

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Shocking. To the first man, Jesus says, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” That is, even animals have homes, but I’m homeless. Are you willing to follow me even if it means you don’t know where you will sleep tonight? When push comes to shove, Jesus says, am I more important to you than a roof over your head? If you had to chose, which would it be?

For the next two individuals, it is important to understand the cultural context. One man asks permission to go home and bury his father. His father isn’t dead yet. He is saying "Let me take care of my dad until he’s dead and then I’ll be freed up to follow you." The next man says, “Let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus does not forbid us to say goodbye to family members. I believe the man is saying, “Let me make sure it’s ok with my family. Family comes first, after all – Jesus, surely you understand that. But as soon as I run it by them, and they’re cool with it, I’m with you.”

Jesus won’t have it. He will not accept conditional disciples. There are people who seem ready to become Christians, but they come equipped with certain conditions. People who say, “Very well, I will follow Jesus as long as certain conditions are met. I need assurances of a roof over my head. I have certain obligations and dreams to fulfill and my Christianity can’t interfere with that. My family is important to me and they have to sign off on it, even if they don’t become Christians themselves. I will have to make sure I have their approval.”

When it comes to Christianity, it is important for you to understand that you are not in a position of power to lay down any terms or conditions. You have nothing that God wants. You cannot bargain with him. All you have are things he gave you in the first place. What you can do is surrender to him unconditionally, or you can walk away. Christianity is too narrow for any who will not surrender their lives to Jesus Christ unconditionally and acknowledge that he is top priority in all things.

Fifth, Christianity is too narrow for those who refuse to repent.

The first words of gospel preaching in the Bible are a call to repentance. If you want to be a Christian, if you are thinking about becoming a Christian, you are called to a lifetime of repentance, a lifetime of turning from sin. It will never end. Repentance is not something that you will do just one time and that’s it, you’re perfect and will never sin again. You may by God’s grace defeat alcoholism – praise God, you’re sober now. But there is still the porn habit to deal with. Or your viewing habits have been reformed, but you lie, and must learn to tell the truth even when it is to your disadvantage. Or you have become honest, but you’re mean-spirited and rude, and must learn kindness and goodwill. Or you’re so kind-hearted you wouldn’t hurt a flea, but you’re lazy and leave others to shoulder burdens that your irresponsibility has placed upon them. Or you don’t commit any particular crimes that wound people, but you leave undone a thousand good things that were in your power to accomplish.

As you get closer and closer to the light of Christ, those dark stains on your soul get revealed and you find more and more things that you need to repent of. This process in Scripture is sometimes referred to as being formed in the image of Christ. Galatians 4:19 the Apostle Paul writes, “My little children for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” And in Romans 8:29 he writes, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image his Son."

That is the goal, the hope, and the delight of every Christian – to be remade, reshaped, newly formed in the image of Jesus Christ. No matter how long it takes and no matter how painful it is. Christianity is too narrow for those who don’t want that and who make no effort to strive for it.

A number of times, in different sermons, I have alluded to a question that Stuart Briscoe asked a little girl: “If you had to choose, would you rather be happy, or healthy, or holy?” I keep coming back to that question. I ask it of myself. I have it mind to ask it of my grandchildren some day. They’re toddlers now. Maybe when they get older, and the occasion warrants, I would like to be able to ask them that, and see if perhaps a fire burns in their eyes, the desire for goodness, pure, firm, uncontaminated goodness – to have that, to be that – to have one’s evil and evil inclinations expunged. To be made clean, to be made good in the way that God desires us to be good.

That little girl answered Briscoe, “I know the answer is holy, but I’d really rather be happy.” It seems that she was part way there. Because at least she knew what the right answer was, the answer she would give if she were a better person. Perhaps she desires to desire to be holy.

For those who have no such desire, and no desire to desire it, Christianity is too narrow. Christianity does not allow space for continued, rebellious, defiant sin. Such people, according to 1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5 and Ephesians 5, will not inherit the kingdom of God. Christianity does allow space for the heartbroken, grieving sinner who says, “God be merciful me, and by your grace remake me according to your will. And please keep doing that as long as it takes.”

One last thing. The most direct way to respond to the question “Is Christianity too narrow?” is simply to quote the words of Jesus in the passage in Matthew 7:13-14 where he frankly acknowledged it and explicitly taught that the way is narrow. He said,

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Christianity is narrow. Jesus said so himself. But it is not too narrow for those who trust in him and turn their lives over to him. Though the way is narrow, Jesus also said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”

Believe in Jesus Christ, and for you the way will not be too narrow. Let us pray.

Father in heaven, I thank you for the great promise of Holy Scripture that “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to strengthen to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” I pray on behalf of those like myself who need more grace than that, for we cannot say that our hearts are blameless. I pray for those of us who find ourselves wanting the delights of your providence but not the repentance of our sin, who dare to lay down conditions upon our discipleship, who reveal pride in our goodness but little shame over our sin. Grant to those who lack it faith in your Son Jesus Christ and an unquenchable desire to be conformed to his image. Thank you that Jesus came to call sinners like us to repentance and righteousness, and that he bore upon himself the curse of our sin so that by a miracle of grace we might be forgiven and cleansed. Amen.